Lizardmen
The Lizardmen are the surviving oldest civilization on Avernus, and in the galaxy as a whole. They were the servants of the Old Ones, and in that role were responsible for creating much of Avernus. The Lizardmen of Avernus are split into two separate empires, each of which is dominated by a different species. These empires have been warring for countless eons over culpability for the death of the last of the Slann, a war that Saint Lin managed to bring to and end. For a while at least. While the Lizardmen at first seem to be a primitive society barely out of the stone age, on closer examination they retain much of their old knowledge and technology, some of which is unimaginably advanced. Physiology There are four main species of Lizardmen, the Slann, the Saurus, the Skinks and the Kroxigor. Of these the Slann Mage Priests, the leaders of the race are extinct on Avernus, and possibly in the galaxy. All Lizardmen are born in Spawning Pools following a set schedule, though with the loss of the Slann no more pools may be made. All Lizardmen are totally immune to the taint of Chaos, biologically immortal and grow stronger as they age. The Slann were psykers of incredible power and control who were responsible for countless psychic feats of impossible power under the direction of the Old Ones. They were the undisputed leaders of the Lizardmen and since their loss the Lizardmen have struggled for direction. The Saurus are the warrior-caste of the Lizardmen. Saurus are large, blue, reptilian warriors. They are over eight feet in length from head to the tips of their tails, and are covered in thick scales which act as armour. They have large jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth and have large talons that allow them to maul an opponent. The Saurus have an instinctive grasp of warfare, and their bestial appearance belies their ability to enact perfectly timed manoeuvres - however, they can be quite savage in combat, raining multiple attacks on their unfortunate opponents in quick succession. The only known sub-species of the Saurus are the Temple-Guard, who were spawned to protect the Slann and the most sacred sites of the Lizardmen. Generally a quarter of all Lizardmen are Saurus. The Skinks are small, nimble aquatic reptiles who act as the middle class of the Lizardmen, fulfilling the countless necessary roles that were not covered by one of the other species. There are three known sub-species of Skinks, the Skink Priests, the Chameleon Skinks and the Red Crested Skinks. Skink Priests are the leaders of the Skinks and are the only true psykers of the Lizardmen barring the Slann. Chameleon Skinks combine chameleon skin that makes them near impossible to detect by conventional means with a set of psychic powers tailored for stealth and act as the covert operatives of the Lizardmen. Generally half of all Lizardmen are Skinks. Kroxigors are huge, brutish crocodilians who walk upright and almost double the height of a saurus. Kroxigors do most of the physical work in lizardmen society. They posses an instinctive understanding of the use of all tools and an ability to quickly master any craft they put work into. The Kroxigor are the craftsmen and workers whose efforts keep Lizardmen society functioning, with tasks ranging from tilling the fields to building and maintaining the Engines of the Gods. While the Kroxigor rarely march to war, when they do they demonstrate that weapons to are tools that they can master, and that their strength and toughness are far greater then even their massive forms suggest. Generally a quarter of all Lizardmen are Kroxigors. Powers and Technology Powers Saurus As well as their inborn talent for war and strong bodies the Saurus have a passive psychic power that greatly hurries the development of their weapons into relics and artifacts. Saurus are built for war in all its forms, and have a mentality unsuited to civilian endeavors. The Temple-Guard additionally have a series of powers that enhance their senses and the ability to go without the need for food or rest, allowing them to remain on guard eternally. Skinks Normal and Red Crested Skinks are capable of using psychic powers to assist with the taming of animals, with the sub-species having their own powers. Skink Priests are able to use one of eight unique psychic disciplines, and seem to be able to use the Warp in ways that normal psykers can only dream of. Chameleon Skinks posses set of psychic powers tailored for stealth that both allows them to bypass a even larger set of detection methods and hides their presence in the Warp. Kroxigors Korxigors psychic abilities further enhance their instinctive understanding of the use of all tools and an ability to quickly master any craft they put work into. Technology On first look the technology of the Lizardmen is a strange mix between stone age and impossibly advanced. This is to an extent inaccurate, but there is still a massive gap between the technology that the Lizardmen can use and maintain and the technology that they can produce. Rather then being due to lost knowledge as is usually the case with fallen civilizations, this is due to the fact that almost all of the Lizardmen's more advanced technology requires the presence of a Slann Mage-Priest to produce, making it impossible since the loss of the Slann. Most of the technology that the Lizardmen can currently produce is made of Obsinite, a material that looks like simple obsidian but has many properties better fitted for high grade Adamantium. This material is used for everything, from weapons and armour to building blocks and roads. Additionally Obsinite seems to be highly effective at absorbing Warp energy, and at channeling certain forms of Warp energy. The Lizardmen seem to be able to produce simple seeming but incredibly advanced psychic wards out of Obsinite and bronze, which are able to enhance their protection against a wide range of attacks, both psychic and not. The more advanced technology of the Lizardmen are mostly what they call Engines of the Gods, psy-tech so advanced that it blurs the line of magic and technology and is capable of incredible feats of power. While the creation of many of the more powerful Engines of the Gods requires a Slann, several of the more simple devices are still in production. Known examples include producing a combat arena in which all wounds, including soul death can be healed, summonsing powerful psychic blasts at continental ranges, massed enhancement and healing effects, massed banishment effects and similar. Empires Saurus Empire The smaller of the two Empires the Saurus Empire has a mere fourteen major Temple-Cities, along with their territories. These Temple-Cities spawn a greater proportion of Saurus then normal, with a half of all spawnings being Saurus. The Saurus Empire is optimised for war, with the entire Empire existing to wage war. This Empire is run by a council consisting of all Saurus Elders (Saurus over ten thousand years) and the most respected Saurus Oldbloods (Saurus over a thousand years). In war they rely on their large numbers of well equipped Saurus and tactical brilliance to achieve victory. Skink Empire The larger of the two Empires the Skink Empire has twenty-three major Temple-Cities, along with their territories. These Temple-Cities spawn a lower proportion of Saurus then normal, with a eighth of all spawnings being Saurus. In exchange they spawn far greater numbers of Red Crested Skinks. The Skink Empire has a far more flexible society then the Saurus and has many trade ties with other peoples of Avernus. In war the Skink Empire makes heavy use of hit and run tactics and a large menagerie of powerful warbeasts, using its comparatively few Saurus as elites. Itza Itza is the oldest and most powerful Lizardman City, and the only city to have remained neutral in the eternal war. It is here that most of the Slann Relic-Priests are entombed, and it was here where the final Slann met their end. Itza is ruled by the Temple-Guard, who preserve its neutrality. Notable Lizardmen The Ancient One The Ancient One is the oldest living Lizardman, and most likely the oldest living being. His exact age is unknown but according to the Krork he was a mid-tier hero in the War In Heaven known as the Firstborn, and even then he was considered old. It is quite likely that the Ancient One actually predates Avernus, and maybe even the War In Heaven. The Ancient One was there for the birth of Chaos, and has been one of its greatest foes ever since, earning the tittle of the 'Eternal Enemy of Chaos'. Over a hundred Exalted Greater Daemons have met their true and final end on his spear, and it is rumored that he was the first to truly end the life of an Exalted Greater Daemon of each of the Five Great Gods of Chaos. Saurus grow faster, stronger and tougher as they age, and the Ancient One is well over sixty million years old. As such it should not be surprising that his sheer physical capabilities are on par with the Primarches, if not greater. However far more impressive is the transcendental level of skill and willpower that the Ancient One has developed. With his spear in hand you have seen the Ancient One slay a pair of Exalted Archangyls within two hours, most of which was spent chasing the second Archangyl. Just as impressive as this skill is the Ancient Ones ability to ignore all psychic powers wielded by anything short of an Apex Psyker, and to greatly resist even those powers. In battle the Ancient One wields his spear, a war-spear of the Old Ones gifted to one of their elite soldiers in the War In heaven. While during that legendary war it was nothing particularly special, these days even the least of the weapons of the War In Heaven are impressive, and it was not the least of weapons. The Spear of the Ancient One has grow far past its humble beginnings much as its wielder has, being tempered in the blood of countless being of incredible power and skill over the ages. In modern times it is one of the most powerful artifacts in existence, with only the greatest of Divine Artifacts being its better. Tlixchoctan the Bane, Saurus Elder Renowned as the greatest warrior of the Saurus, the Bane was spawned in Xhotl the City of Heroes in the midst of a daemonic incursion and rather than confusion immediately rallied his spawn brothers in the defence of the city. In this battle the prodigal saurus would take up the rough hewn slab of stone that has since become their great axe and slew their first greater daemon, a minor one of little renown, but a great feat for one who was only a few days old at the time. Since then Tilxchoctan has grown in power and skill in battles against the Skinks, the world and the daemonic finding himself to be the Bane of all enemies he has faced. His pair of victories in the tournament and brief battles with the Ancient One serve as proof of his capacity and skill. Now ruling the city of his spawning the now Elder welcomed Lin as a scourge of the Daemonic, but was doubtful that a truce could be reached with the skinks, never mind peace, which was almost an alien concept to one literally born into war. His surprise when Lin succeeded possibly helped spur his leadership of a combined Saurus and Skink force that successfully crossed a continent and an ocean during the heights of the incursion to participate in the battle of Dis, where he personally held the breach created by the First Circle with none, but his personal guard. While Lin maybe gone the Bane has discovered an odd friendship with the Astarte known as Idimane Quintor of the Crimson Crusaders, the two meeting during the third incursion when the remains of Captain Quintor’s Crimson Crusaders reached Dis. Believing they were still in the warp Captain Quintor attempted to assault the lizard, only to be thrown to the ground quickly. The appearance of a swarm of daemons parted the two until they came back to back, making a game out of who could kill the greater number of abominations. Since then Captain Quintor has come several times to the city of heroes, his curse finding itself soothed within a place protected by the immense wards of the Old Ones, and his skills tested to their limits again and again by the elder lizard, as the two compare tips on how to best gut greater daemons. Skink High Priest Gehtu Lord of the Starlit City Lord of the Starlit city of Axotl Gehtu is likely the eldest living Skink and possesses a depths of experience and power earned over a life that comfortably predates the Imperium by at least three thousand years. With this he is armed with millennia of experience in warfare, management and combat, as well as honing the innate psycic abilities available to skinks to an extraordinary edge. In particular his abilities in divination are staggering, considering that it is not his primary area of focus, with the elder lizard forseeing events far in the future and deep in the past. For example he claimed to have seen Lin’s arrival several thousand years before the Saint actually arrived, and greeted him by answering several questions as if he had responded to a long conversation. However, his greatest gift is his innate understanding of the Engines of the Gods that the Old Ones left to their children, with his mastery of them surpassing all others. Indeed it was Gehtu who put one of these engines to use to heal Saint Lin, extending his life by a few more years when even the best experts of the Eldar deemed it impossible. During the peace talks Gehtu was one of Lin’s most regular allies amongst the Skink priests, his immense age and knowledge making him respected and able to cool the most aggressive of their kind, steering them inexorably towards the end of hostilities. Gehtu did not stand idle when Lin was threatened. Despite Axotl being assaulted by a vast force of Angyls, Gehtu aided Avernus’s navies integration with the wider world’s network and directed the controlled power of several engines of the gods in the defence of Dis, killing innumerable daemons despite the vast distance. Since Lin’s death he has also been amongst the first to place a plaque depicting Lin’s place in the Lizardmen’s history within their temples. Joriq: Eternity Warden of Itza The title of Eternity Warden is regarded with immense complexity in lizardmen society. On the one hand it is the highest title of a sacred office, those who in the past were charged with the direct safety of the Slann mage priests, the leaders of the Temple Guard, the best of the best… And they are failures. For the Slann are no more and the Lizardmen have fallen into sorrow and darkness because of it. Their legends state that in those black times, both Skinks and Saurus considered permanently abolishing the position of Eternity Warden amongst other punishments to be levied upon the Temple Guard for their failure to protect the Slann, but it was the intervention of the Ancient One, one of the few times he directly intervened in their civilisation that prevented that. He stated the need for the Temple Guard and Eternity Wardens remained, to guard the bodies of their fallen leaders and see to the safety of the Spawning Pools and that he would personally see to the skill of their leaders. So it has been that the mightiest of the Temple Guard still become the Eternity Wardens of their respective cities, and for millions of years each of these already pussient warriors have been trained personally by the Ancient One into engines of destruction. Joriq is the latest of the Eternity Wardens of Itza, who returned from the Ancient One’s training to a vast battle outside of the walls of Itza where he finally slew Xe'achtor the Slaughterer, ending the first battle of the civil war to take place near the First City in over 60,000 years. Since then the defender of the greatest Relic Priests has viciously enforced the neutrality of Itza from the rest of the war, and has directed his forces to drive away any, Skink or Saurus they suspect of intending to prosecute the war within 10 miles of the city, as their battles may pose a threat to his charges. And old and experienced Saurus blessed with the strength of the Temple Guard and the benefits of the Ancient One’s training, who is looked to as the effective leader of the Temple Guard, Joriq was barely convinced to allow Itza to act as the central neutral ground for the peace negotiations. However with the war seemingly ended, he is slowly allowing more Saurus and Skinks to enter the first city, albeit under heavy and suspicious watch. Aksi’Moquandi the Hand of Chaqua The Kroxigor of the Lizardmen are often in the awkward situation of being truly neutral compared to the Skinks and the Saurus. Neither side blame the Kroxigor for the fate of the Slann and both sides need them for their innate understanding of construction. Without the Kroxigor the cities of the lizardmen would deteriorate from their current exceptional condition, the weapons and tools that both sides utilise would be lost etc. For this reason Kroxigor are frequently called on to mediate between both sides, indeed when Lin helped talk both Skink and Saurus to peace, he was aided by experienced Kroxigor diplomats when he could not go himself whilst the meetings were defended by Kroxigor guards to ensure there was no foul play. Amongst the Kroxigor the Hand of Chaqua, sometimes called the relic saviour, bares the most renown in the modern era. His title is obvious, for one of his limbs has been replaced with a brilliant gold prosthetic. One of the most prized engines the lizardmen possess, a Hand of Gods. The Lizardmen have few of these items and even fewer of a type that are intended not for combat, but for crafting, and Aksi’Moquandi is the only Kroxigor 90,000 years to successfully complete the trials to prove his worth and have the item grafted to his very soul. Originally the Kroxigor rested within the Chaqua the City of Gold, crafting wonders for those that came to him, but during a particularly devastating battle between the Skinks and Saurus the sacred forging districts were threatened, among them many highly sacred relics. Frustrated and fearing for the safety of the artefacts Aksi’Moquandi took up his forging hammer to drive both away, bellowing admonishments and chastising them for their near blasphemy, as his arm exploded into an incandescent forge flame hotter than the sun. The force of the Kroxigor’s will and drive combined with the presence of the holy engine and his blandishments stunned the combatants and forced them to flee in shame. Since then the Forger has traveled the lands of the Saurus and Skinks with an army of attendants, gathering, preserving and restoring sacred items that have been lost in the constant fighting, whether they be golden trinkets or vast temple complexes. While certainly a mighty warrior, his skill as a crafter makes him sort for by the greatest warriors of both cousin species, although there are very few that meet his harsh standards, for he judges every moment spent in the war as a slight against the Old One’s honour and refuses to utilise his arm save for more worthy callings like crafting items to destroy the demonic. Category:Avernus Natives Category:Infomational